Breeding records, urban habitat, and threats to the masked palm civet in Taiwan

Abstract

AbstractAn increasing number of mammalian species worldwide have adapted to urban environments following the alteration and fragmentation of natural habitats. In recent years, the masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) has increased in several highly populated cities in Taiwan. Twelve‐years (2010–2021) of civet records in Taichung (the largest city in central Taiwan) from the rescue center of Taichung Wildlife Conservation Group report the population of civets has grown steadily since 2017, with the number of records in 2020 (n = 58) and 2021 (n = 55) approximately 5 times of that in 2010–2014 (mean ± SD = 5.0 ± 2.6). Our objective was to use the records from the rescue center to evaluate the potential sexual dimorphism of urban civets, explore temporal variation of civet activity and age structure, identify major threats to civets inhabiting urban areas, and investigate the environmental characteristics surrounding civet nesting sites in urban environments. The civet breeding season lasts from spring to autumn, with primary mating season in spring. The main cause of mortality in adults was dog attack followed by car accident, while the main rescue reason for young civets was because they were considered orphans following human interferences. Many civets in urban areas inhabit locations where >90% of the land cover is covered by buildings and man‐made structures, and even nest inside buildings. Our results demonstrated the need for new civet conservation and management policies to minimize dog attacks on civets to enhance co‐existence between wildlife and humans.